Stuck
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I assume it’s getting stuck near the breech? Probably a touch hole liner either protruding into the bore, or a rough edge from drilling the touch hole.
Not many other things that could snag a jag and patch.
Not many other things that could snag a jag and patch.
I agree
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a mouse grabbing the end?
Is the touch hole liner removable? I agree that's the most likely explanation. Maybe you can do some filing.
Use smaller jag and patch for initial cleaning. For some reason that gun shoots exceptionally dirty?
Concur with Ed. My guess is it is a bad combo of patch thickness / diameter, diameter of the jag, and the basic shape of the jag. It goes into the barrel fine, but with a little fouling on it, trying to reverse it forms a 'chinese fingers' situation.
I had one that did the same thing. I still have to be careful with dry patches.
I had one that did the same thing. I still have to be careful with dry patches.
TDM
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I’m dealing with the same problem with my Clay Smith .62 trade gun which has a Rice barrel. My first thought early on was the vent liner, but that wasn’t the problem. I’ve removed the breech 3 times looking for the problem with no luck. With the breech off the cleaning jag meets resistance before the vent, but I can’t see or feel anything. Actually talked to Rob M. about this and he recommended a good polishing. Show that’s my next move.
TDM
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That’s a good point, could be the jag isn’t concentric. I’ll check mine.
I think polishing will help, it improved mine a bit. In the end it took a different patch diameter. A different size or shape jag makes a big difference also. It does seem to be a 'smoothbore' thing.
TDM & TTT, What are you guys using for a jag / button?
Any new cleaning jag of mine gets shaped in my drill press. Chuck it in on the jag shaft and hit the jag with a file to remove some material, and you can also deepen the grooves if you wish.Thinning the jag like this allows you to use thicker cleaning patches (like cut up cotton socks) which really work better. Pretty sure your troubles will end. I never had a stuck jag, ever, this way.
Ps: use water or Windex or something on the patch: NEVER run a dry cleaning patch down a dirty barrel
Ps: use water or Windex or something on the patch: NEVER run a dry cleaning patch down a dirty barrel
Yes, that's the ticket. I chose changing up patch thickness and diameter, and polishing only because I didn't want to modify the wiping stick that came with the gun.Any new cleaning jag of mine gets shaped in my drill press. Chuck it in on the jag shaft and hit the jag with a file to remove some material. Thinning the jag like this allows you to use thicker cleaning patches (like cut up cotton socks) which really work better. Pretty sure your troubles will end. I never had a stuck jag, ever, this way.
Ps: use water or Windex or something. NEVER run a dry cleaning patch down a dirty barrel
TDM
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Mines a brass TOW. I’m going to try what @PathfinderNC does.
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It depends on where/ when in the cleaning process it gets stuck.
If I just stick a wet patch down a dirty barrel more than six or eight inches I can just about count on it getting stuck to the point of very difficult to remove. If I start with a clean wet patch, and just go in a couple inches and back out, then in a couple inches deeper, and so on, I can use one patch to remove a great deal of the loose fouling without getting it stuck. I throw that patch, which will be filthy away, and with the next patch I can be more cavalier about the whole thing.
If you are cleaning away, and then the jag just gets stuck at random places in the process, I would start to suspect a barrel or jag abnormality, but if it's on the first pass, I would just change up the process and see if the problem resolves.
If I just stick a wet patch down a dirty barrel more than six or eight inches I can just about count on it getting stuck to the point of very difficult to remove. If I start with a clean wet patch, and just go in a couple inches and back out, then in a couple inches deeper, and so on, I can use one patch to remove a great deal of the loose fouling without getting it stuck. I throw that patch, which will be filthy away, and with the next patch I can be more cavalier about the whole thing.
If you are cleaning away, and then the jag just gets stuck at random places in the process, I would start to suspect a barrel or jag abnormality, but if it's on the first pass, I would just change up the process and see if the problem resolves.
I had the same problem with a ramrod end that was built for seating a charge in my 62 smoothbore. The jag was too short, less than 1/4" and the patch would get balled up behind it and stuck tight when I tried to pull it out.
These have, on occasion, given me problems.
These have worked for me, although I don't think they are HC.
These have worked for me, although I don't think they are HC.
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I would use a bore brush to see if loosening up the fouling helps. I agree with polishing. I make my jags .04 or more below bore size. Check the size of your bore compared to the jag.
